NOTE: We do not keep “service files” of individual riflemen in our archives. Some 19th-century nominal rolls and orders are listed below. If you are looking for anything we have connected to individuals in our collections, we recommend you check our online catalogue under the Search Terms: People. This will include the most up-to-date information we have cataloged and entered into our database.  Service records for those serving since the South African War (1899-1901) may be available from Library and Archives Canada – search for Military Service Records.

NOTE: The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archives condemns the use of racist and other offensive statements, comments and rhetoric in any form. However, the Museum is committed to not hiding from the full history of our Regiment and its members. It is from this commitment to acknowledge and learn from painful and uncomfortable moments, that we make our archival materials available.

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The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum includes an archival collection with materials dating back to the 1860’s. We are in the process of digitizing a selection of this material and including it here.

Our thanks to Anne Dondertman, Acting Director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library, University of Toronto, and David Sharron Head, Archives & Special Collections at Brock University Archives for allowing us use of their book scanners.

NEW! You can now also see a large collection of our digitized photos on our Flickr site.

Nominal Rolls: 1866 to 1882 (pdf – 95.5 MB)

00053 – This is a bound record book of handwritten Nominal (or attendance) Rolls. Each roll includes a “staff” or headquarters listing in then rolls by company. Blank pages have not been included. See the item description for further details about content and information.

Nominal Rolls: 1882 to 1904 (pdf 268 MB)

00184 – A bound record book of handwritten Nominal (or attendance) Rolls. Each roll includes a “staff” or headquarters listing in then rolls by company.

Blank pages have not been included.

 

Parade States: 1865 to 1878 (pdf – 216 MB)

00185 – A bound record book of handwritten attendance numbers, one page per parade day. Each day contains information on how many Officers and soldiers attend a parade event, and many pages contain notes on the event. The book is entirely filled-out by W. D. Otter.

 

Parade States: 1879 to 1892 (catalog
page with link to PDF)

2018.07.055 – A bound record book of handwritten attendance numbers, one page per parade
day. Each day contains information on how many Officers and soldiers attend a
parade event, who was in command, and many pages contain notes on the event.

Book of Remembrance 1866 to 1918 (pdf – 18.7 MB)

00128 – Bound Book of Remembrance containing a brief history of the Queen’s Own Rifles up to 1931, list of battle honours, VC recipients, decorations received in the Great War, honour roll for those who died in the Fenian Raids, South Africa, and the Great War, and Orders of Service for the dedications of the Memorial Cross and the Memorial Shrine. (Searchable pdf format.)

Regimental Orders

These are 19th-century bound books (with the exception of 1860-1865) of handwritten regimental orders signed by the Adjutants. These include training, supply and administration instructions, and personnel administration including enrollments, transfers, postings, promotions and discharges with individuals named. Also include in some cases, district and brigade (Camp Niagara) orders.

• Regimental Orders 1860 to 1865 (pdf – 29.6 MB) – Courtesy of the Brock University Archives
• Regimental Orders 1866 to 1867 (pdf – 22.6 MB) – Courtesy of the Brock University Archives
• Regimental Orders 1868 to 1874 (pdf – 75.3 MB) – CA QORM RG2 S1 V00342
  
• Regimental Orders 1875 to 1880 (pdf – 87.2 MB) – CA QORM RG2 S1 V00340
• Regimental Orders 1881 to 1886 (pdf – 43.1 MB) – Courtesy of the Brock University Archives
• Regimental Orders 1886 to 1892 (pdf – 108 MB) – CA QORM RG2 S1 V00183
• Regimental Orders 1892 to 1897 (pdf – 121 MB) – CA QORM RG2 S1 V00076
• Regimental Orders 1898 to 1900 (pdf – 281 MB) – CA QORM RG2 S1 V00186

Modern day typed orders include training, supply and administration instructions, and personnel administration including enrollments, transfers, postings, promotions and discharges with individuals named. These files have OCR applied so they are searchable.

• Routine Orders 2008 (pdf – 24 MB) – 2013.03.2008
• Routine Orders 2009 (pdf – 22 MB) – 2013.03.2009
• Routine Orders 2010 (pdf – 22 MB) – 2013.03.2010

1910 Trip to England

• Mouriopoulos, Nikolas A. E. “A Serious Piece of Business”: Sir Henry Pellatt, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, and the “English Trip” of 1910, Toronto, M.A. 2000 Paper, 2014 (pdf – 219 KB)
• Officers’ Mess Guest Book from Aldershot (pdf – 9 MB)

Diaries & Memoirs

Our archives have a number of personal diaries which include relevant periods of active service, which in a number of cases have been transcribed and digitized.

• 1885 Lt Cassels NW Field Force Diary (Transcribed) – Lieutenant R. S. Cassels served with the Queen’s Own Rifles and participated in the North West Field Force in 1885
• Rfn Forin’s 1885 NW Rebellion Diary (Transcribed) – Rifleman J. A. Forin (later Judge Forin) also served with the Queen’s Own in the North West Field Force in 1885 and perhaps provides a slightly different perspective from the “other ranks” view.
• Diary of Edgar Henry Redway (pdf) – Redway joined the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada in the 1890s and later served in the South African War with the Royal Canadian Regiment Special Service Battalion.
• Memoir of Rfn J. William Ross – 1944-1945 – Bill joined the QOR one month before D-Day at the age of 18 and after landing at Juno Beach and fighting through Europe, was discharged in Canada on February 1, 1946 just before his 21st birthday.

Standing Orders Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada

Standing Orders spell out organization, detailed dress regulations and orders of dress, mess, committees, band, drill and a raft of other need to know for all officers, NCOs and men of the regiment. These were updated periodically and the following are examples of several versions from our archives (scans courtesy of CWO Shannon):

• 00223 – QOR RSOs March 31st 1880 – Capt Lawrence Buchan (pdf 1.8 MB)
• 00224 – QOR RSOs March 28th 1894 – Capt M. S. Mercer (pdf 1.2 MB)
• 00222 – QOR RSOs May 22nd 1925 – Col Reginald Pellatt (pdf 3.2 MB)
• 00150 – 2nd Battalion 15 November 1956 – Lt Col R F MacKay
• 00151 – Regimental Depot circa 1957 – Maj C J Doerksen (pdf 10 MB)
• 2018.07.064 – QOR RSOs 1965

Nominal Rolls – WWI and WWII

These searchable nominal rolls issued with Militia Orders in 1915, includes service number, rank, name, previous military service, name of next of kin, address of next of kin, country of birth, and date and place taken on strength.

• 3rd Bn CEF Nominal Roll (pdf 7.8 MB) Raised in Toronto and consisted primarily with soldiers from the 2nd Regiment, Queen’s Own Rifles; the 10th Regiment (later the Royal Regiment of Canada); and the Governor General’s Body Guards (GGBG) (amalgamated in 1936 with The Mississauga Horse to become The Governor General’s Horse Guards).
• 95th Bn CEF Nominal Roll (1.86 MB)
• 166th Bn CEF Nominal Roll (5.23 MB)
• 198th Bn CEF Nominal Roll (4.97 MB)
• 255th Bn CEF Nominal Roll (1.72 MB)
• Official Nominal Roll of “B” Company QOR just prior to D-Day (pdf 1.2 MB) Searchable document includes B Company soldiers’ name; name, relationship and address of next of kin; and date for those killed in action (k/a) or died of wounds (d/w).  At the end is a list of all those Queen’s Own Rifles killed during the Second World War and a two maps of Aldershot Camp in England.

Report of the Court of Inquiry on the Action at Lime Ridge

Court of Inquiry on the Battle of Lime Ridge or Ridgeway completed June 24 1866. President was Colonel George T. Denison, Commandant of Volunteer Force, 5th Militia District.